Santannu Hazarika gave up his engineering career, but found solace and satisfaction in the world of illustration and doodling. His growing notoriety in the arts is attested to by his collaborations with esteemed establishments like Harper's and well-known hip-hop musicians like Raftaar and Divine. Notably, he became even more well-known after winning the 2014 Red Bull Doodle Art Contest, which cemented his position as a notable figure in the industry. Furthermore, his romantic relationship with Shruti Haasan, a singer-actress and also the daughter of legendary actor Kamal Haasan, highlights the convergence of emotional connection and artistic talent in his life and adds intriguing depth to his compelling story. Come explore the incredible journey of Santanu Hazarika, who is a living example of the endless opportunities that come with pursuing artistic passion.
Excerpts from the interview:
Can you tell us about your installation at Kalaghoda Festival?
Yes, for a long time I always wanted to be a part of Kalaghoda because it is the Kalaghoda Art Fest and probably one of the biggest public art fairs out there. Consider the number of people who show up and the fact that it's for everyone. It's for the masses. And that thing excited me.
And I wanted to participate in it. Therefore, I am privileged to share the stage in Kalaghoda with many other artists this year. And Fodder for Flamingos is the name of the installation I created with Doodle Maples. There is irony in this installation. In addition to this solution, I would like to draw more attention to the pollution that is occurring in wetlands and streams, as well as the areas of invasion and retreat.
So to get food, flamingos really have to scavenge through contaminants and dirt. Bombay witnesses this magnificent and impressive migration of flamingos every year. And as we take pictures, the vast horizon comes into view, incredibly magnificent. However, humans are blind to what flamingos perceive.
This whole setup is a perspective. Just below the surface, you can see beyond the beauty and see reality. So this whole facility is based on that concept.
What does the process of creating art mean to you and how did your journey into doodling begin?
The process of creating art for me is quite broad because first of all I don't depend on any process, but during the process there are many things that I go through before creating a piece of art. It means a lot to me. It is a process of constant destruction, creation and reinvention of images, techniques, forms and ideas to give rise to something beautiful. I feel like the whole process depends on how I perceive my emotional or mental state, or even my physical stage. Where it affects the process and the type of things or artwork I am creating. My whole journey towards doodling or art making started when I was a kid when I used to copy comic book characters. I used to draw all the characters, draw the whole cover and replicate it. So, I would say, I got into this because I needed to fit in and also because I always liked drawing.
His portfolio includes amazing album covers from several renowned musicians. Among your projects, which one holds a special place in your heart as a personal favorite?
I've done a lot of artwork for various artists, album artwork and creatives, but they are all good friends of mine so it's very hard to choose. If you ask me, I would say that working with Ritviz has been quite a journey because I have done the most album and single artwork for his projects. That's very special to me because we also ended up being perfect friends through this project. So all the praise, Dave, all the other singers and all the artwork, brought us together and brought us closer. And I am very happy and proud of that project.
The visual arts community of Northeast India is often under-documented. As a globally recognized artist from Guwahati, what steps do you think can be taken to better promote these talented but underrated artists?
Yes, unfortunately, like anything else that is neglected in the Northeast, visual art is also one of the things that doesn't get much recognition. I guess the steps that can be taken are more like closing a gap. And some of my friends and I have been trying to do that. So, with this agenda, we have started this project called Guwahati Art Project, where we try to create dialogue. We try to hold workshops. We carry out various activities.
We connect artists from the Northeast with other parts of the world and vice versa. Therefore, it is necessary to make that kind of effort. It is necessary to promote artists. We need more sponsors. We need more exposure. We need more brands. We need more art supporters who specifically support Northeastern artists. But I also did my best to achieve it. Before all this, I also used to curate shows for Lalit Kala Academy, Ministry of Culture, India, where I did exhibitions of artists specifically from the Northeast. So I think there are a few ways we can achieve that, like more representation in the mainstream art field and more representation through galleries. I think these are the ones that there are ways we can focus more on.
You gave a special gift to Badshah. Tell us the story behind this.
Yes, I recently gifted a special pair of handmade Air Force Ones to Badshah. My friend Syqick and I did this. I worked with Badshah on one of his all-India tours, called Pagal Toh, last year. And since then, we have been very respectful and grateful for each other's artistic work. And he also mentioned me on one of his podcasts. We have a great mutual respect for art forms and as a special thank you for that, I thought I would create a special pair. Which was inspired by the Pagal tour I worked on. The entire pair is inspired by the visual identity I initially created for their tour and incorporated into the shape of their sneakers, which zip up and turn into flip-flops.
Life inevitably presents challenges for everyone. In your case, how has art served as a healing or coping mechanism in times of adversity?
Yes, there are always many challenges in life. I mean, each of us has our challenges. And I mean, art has always been with me as the only constant. All the challenges keep changing, but art has always been there as a constant, which has helped me overcome many things. Whether dealing with depression or fighting the status quo. Whether breaking stereotypes or not, I think art has been the only expressive form that has been strong enough to cut through all of these things. And yes, art has helped me overcome most situations I have faced. For me, I think the best example would be how art has helped me cope with my depression. I think back to life when I was doing my engineering. I was diagnosed with depression and put on medication for quite some time. But the only thing that got me out of there or that only helped me cope with the episodes was painting and drawing. So I'm very anxiety driven, and art, or creating art, helps me channel that energy, that excessive anxiety, and those thoughts that I normally have or repress onto the canvas, which acts as a release for me, and that has helped me.
As for his relationship with Shruti Haasan, being in the public eye can be demanding. How do you both serve as each other's support system, especially during difficult times in your careers? Are there specific ways to offer support and encouragement?
Being in a relationship and being in the public eye can be quite demanding as you are prone to all kinds of trolling and negativity. And in my case, I receive a lot of racist comments. I mean, which is very cruel and mean. But, I mean, for us, we're both each other's support system in a way that we're very supportive of each other. We are very supportive of the work we do. We are an art form of mutual respect and we are each other's sounding boards. So whenever we work on something, we are the first critics of others' work. And for us, work, art and expression are what have priority and everything else is secondary. So, that mental space and focus helps us ignore all the negative aspects of being in the public eye. And of course, we always support each other in any kind of experimental or new art we practice. Whether it's music, directing, film, art or visual arts. It is a whole area of expressions through which we support each other.
